Keywords
Hyperuricemia
Sea Level
Proteinuria
Oxygenation
Glomerular Filtration Rate
How to Cite
Abstract
Millions of people are exposed to high altitude (GA), acutely (travelers), intermittently (workers who go to high altitude and then return to sea level) or chronically (inhabitants of high altitude cities), resulting in various physiological alterations.
During acute exposure to GA, changes are observed in the respiratory, cardiovascular and hematological systems, which occur in order to improve tissue oxygenation. On the other hand, the kidney is also affected by hypobaric hypoxia, leading to increased erythropoietin and changes in glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal blood flow and urinary excretion of protein, bicarbonate, hydrogen, sodium and water.
Inhabitants of high altitude cities present various alterations that cause renal damage and that are usually more evident at higher altitudes. Therefore, renal syndrome at high altitude (RAS) has been recognized as an entity that occurs in residents of cities located above 2500 meters above sea level (m asl), who usually develop proteinuria, polycythemia, arterial hypertension and hyperuricemia, which leads to deterioration of renal function.
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